Wudang Santa Cruz

Friday, April 3, I’ll be giving a public talk on a paper I recently presented at the Esalen Center for Theory and Research. The conference, led by my kungfu brother Simon Cox's Subtle Body Initiative, brought together scholars and practitioners from around the world in dialogue on the subtle body and martial arts.

The talk will explore a hidden axis within Daoist practice where combat, exorcism, and internal alchemy collapse into a single process of transformation; where the body itself becomes a kind of metaphysical armor, a sealed vessel for immortal transmutation.

Drawing from my paper, we’ll move through the strange terrain where inner and outer are no longer separate, and where the final “duel” is revealed as the nondual.

After the talk, we’ll open the floor for questions and discussion.

Friday, April 3 — 7:00 PM
@ Wudang Santa Cruz, 403 Swift St.

$10 general admission
$5 for Five Branches students + enrolled Wudang Santa Cruz students

Please sign up @ wudangsantacruz.com

Hope to see you there.

Just returned to Santa Cruz after a week at the Esalen Center for Theory and Research, taking part in a conference on the Subtle Body and the Martial Arts hosted by my main Daoist genius loony tune brethren Simon Cox and his Subtle Body Initiative.

Holy cannoli! How to put the past week into words!? I’ve a lot of synthesizing and distillation to do, and I’m working on something, but for now…

Let’s just say it was easily one of the best weeks of my life. I made friends for life… whether they like it or not. Some of the most fascinating, evocative, humbling, moving, and gut-punishingly funny conversations I’ve been involved in.

The Daoist body is a gloopy soup of plural agencies, somehow wriggling their way into a brief moment of coherence. Yet with the right nurturance, that temporary coalescence distills into something more enduring… what the tradition calls the immortal body. This past week, with everyone’s unique contribution and synthesis in discussion, I think we cultivated the elixir of a greater body. Not yet stable… it’s still flickering between formation and dissolution, but it’s alive in a way that doesn’t quite belong to any of us.

It’s still an embryo, but to me, an immortal one, nevertheless. Thanks to everyone.

We still have a couple spaces available for Tuesday and Thursday nights' Free Trial Week Kungfu classes at 5:30 PM, as well as Wednesday's Taiji class at 7:00 PM. Sign up soon as they will likely fill up!

wudang meditation neidan alchemy wushu qigong taijiquan baguazhang xingyiqian taiji bagua dao daoism tao taoism martialarts

We’re hosting another Free Trial Week @ Wudang Santa Cruz from March 1-5!

If you’ve been meaning to check out the school, this is the perfect opportunity.

Space is limited and online registration is required to join!

Registration link and all info @ link in bio.

wudang meditation neidan alchemy wushu qigong taijiquan baguazhang xingyiqian taiji bagua dao daoism tao taoism martialarts

Wudang Santa Cruz Kungfu Master discipline, strength, and fluid power through ancient techniques and focused practice. Learn More @ Kungfu Classes Taiji & Qigong Daoist practices for improving health, getting back into the body, and calming the mind. Learn More @ Taiji Classes Learn More @ Qigong Classes Neijia Delve...

🌒 Happy Not-Quite-the-New-Year-Just-Yet!

Yes, the Gregorian calendar has turned, but in the Chinese calendar, we still haven’t shifted from the wriggly-wiggly Wood Snake into the aggro, bordering-on-psychotic Fire Horse.

We’re not even in the final month of the Wood Snake year yet. And that’s why New Year’s resolutions so often burn out fast🔥. The qi atmosphere hasn’t actually shifted registers. You might feel the approaching Fire Horse like a stampede rumbling in the distance, so best to just get ready… Rest, rest, rest.

✔️ Keep to your routine
✔️ Maintain consistent practices
✔️ Consolidate instead of pushing

wudang meditation neidan alchemy wushu qigong taijiquan baguazhang xingyiqian taiji bagua dao daoism tao taoism martialarts

The school is now closed until the New Year.
Classes resume in early January.

Thank you to all students for a solid year of training.
Wishing everyone a restful close to the year and a strong beginning to the next.

Go pick up my book at Bookshop Santa Cruz. You can also pick it up at threepinespress.com and Amazon!

Here's the shelf talker from BSC:

"From the obscure depths of Daoist caves to the neon glow of modernity, this historical chronicle - part memoir, part grimoire - fuses martial arts, mysticism, and cross-cultural inquiry, revivifying the Daoist tradition and rendering it urgently relevant for our fractured times."

🌿 FREE TRIAL WEEK at Wudang Santa Cruz! 🌿

From Sunday, Oct. 26 to Thursday, Oct. 30, all classes are FREE! Whether you’re curious about Kungfu, Taiji, Qigong, or meditation, this is your chance to check out all of our classes and connect with the community.

✨ Schedule:

• Sunday: Qigong (10–11 AM) + Kungfu (11:15 AM–12:35 PM)
• Monday: Taijiquan (5:30–6:45 PM)
• Tuesday: Kungfu (5:30–6:45 PM)
• Thursday: Meditation (6:00–6:45 PM)

✔️ Arrive 10 minutes early to sign in.
✔️ Wear clean, flat shoes + comfortable clothes.
✔️ Sign up in advance for the classes you want to join (link in bio!).